Means for raising sunken vessels



March 31. 1925.

U. A. CARR MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS z E; u; 5

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 3 Magi Filed Sept. 28. 1923 March 31, 1925. 1,531,433

u. A. CARR MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS 8, Filed Sept 2 1923 2 S he ts Sheet 2 fza. Z. I 9i Patented Mar. 31, 1925.

UNITED STATES URIEL ARTEMUS CARR, OF WARREN, OHIO.

MEANS FOR RAISING SUNKEN VESSELS.

Application filed September 28, 1923. Serial No. 665,355.

To -77 llilfI/It if may concern:

Be it known that I. llinnL A. CARR, a citizen of the United States, residing at \Varren, in the county of Trumbull and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Rais ing Sunken Vessels, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to means for raising sunken vessels and has for an object to provide suitable mechanism which will effectively raise a sunken ship, by the employment of relatively simple and inexpensive equipment, without mutilating or defacing the sunken ship in any way.

Another object of the invention is to pro-- vide means of this character which will raise a sunken vessel at a predetermined point so as to render the same accessible when the vessel is elevated to the surface of the water.

A further object of the invention is to employ buoyant means for raising a sunken vessel the action of which is augmented by the undulations of the water, the buoyant members per so being so arranged that undue stress thereon is eliminated.

Other objects of the invention will be apparent from the following description of the present preferred form of the invention taken in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein 1 Fig. 1 is an elevational view ot'meaus constructed in accordance with the invention illustrating its application;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary elcvational view of one of the tubes employed for inflating the buoyant members:

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same;

Fig. 4 is a cross sectional view of one of the dome plates used in connection with the buoyant members, and

Figure 5 is a section through the means for connecting the tubes to the buoyant members.

In employing means constructed in accordance with the present invention it is preferred to use two or moreships 5 which are anchored in spaced relation on the surface of the water and are equipped with upstanding beams 6 to which the terminals of a bar 7 are engaged. The bar is provided midway its ends with a pulley 8 around which a. cable 9 is trained. One end of the cable extends to one of the ships 5 while the opposite end is adapted to pass downwardly through the water into engagement with a sunken ship designated 10. The cable 9 capacitates as a guide in order to direct the course of the sunken ship between the ves sels 5 when the sunken vessel or ship is elevated.

In order to elevate the sunken vessel buoyant means is provided consisting of two or more inflatable elements such as balloons 11 which are inflated through tubes 12. The tubes 12 depend from the ships 5 and may be in communication with air pumps carried by the latter so as to permit the desired volume of air to be pumped into the balloons. The tubes ii are provided with valve housings 13, at intervals, in each of which a valve 1% is mounted to prevent air in the balloons from passing upwardly through the tubes from the balloons. Each housing in the present instance consists of a cylindrical body provided with an integral perforate cup 15. The cup is preferably arranged approximately midway the ends of the cylinders and as shown is of circular configuration so that the valve 14, which is of globular configuration will normally gravitate toward the center of the cup. A discal element 1G is formed in each of said cylinders above the cup 15 and is provided with a central opening 17 which serves as a valve seat with which the valve 14 is engaged when there is a back pressure of air from the balloon thereby closing communication through the tube. It is of course apparent that the air forced through the tubes from the air pumps will be sutlicient to overcome the resistauce of air carried in the balloons and consequently will unseat the valves 14.

In order to eliminate the necessity and the corresponding expense of throwing away the harness used in connection with the balloons when the latter are rendered unsuitable for use, the harness in the present instance may be removed from the balloons so that the latter may be replaced at a relatively small cost without the necessity of replacing the harness. The harness in the present instance consists especially of a crown or dome 18 preferably made of. metal and of substantially hemispherical contiguration so as to complement the contour of the balloon and snugly embrace the latter. The dome 18 has a screw threaded opening 19 formed therethrough in which is threaded a tubular coupling member 12, having a series of annular grooves 12* arranged there in adjacent each end thereof. The lower end of the tube is arranged about or received over one end of the tubular connecting member 12. while the nipple 12 of the balloon ii is arranged about the opposite end of said tubular connecting member. Clamping rings 12 engage the tube 12 and nipple 12 for 'torcin portions of the last mentioned members into the annular grooves 12" to prevent said tube and nipple from disengaging or slipping oil the tubular connecting member 12. The marginal edge of each dome is engaged by cables 2H which extend downwardly to a. point appreciably below the balloon and are engaged with a rim" 2], the latter being placed in connection with the sunken vessel It] by any suitable means such as indicated at An eye 23 is termed on the top of each dome 12 which is adapted l'or engagement with one end of a cable id, the opptsite end of the latter extending into one ot the ships 5 so that the course of the balloons during ascent may be ctmtrolled from within the ships 5.

la view of this device it is apparent that the balloons are placed in connection with the sunken vessel while in a detlatcd position and after having been connected to the vessel in the manner above described are inflated through the tubes Vlhcn inflated the balloons will he rocked laterally by the undulations ot the water so as to primarily tend to loosen the vessel 10 from the bed. 'hen the air pressure in the balloons reaches a predetermined point the vessel i will be elevated by the buoyancy of the balloons and its upward course guided bv the cables 5) and 24.

Various changes may be made in this device especially in the details of coustructioin proportion and arrangement of parts within the scope ot the claim hereto appended.

\Vhat is claimed is Means for raisinga sunken vessel including objects anchored on the surface of the water in spaced relation and equipped with a bar extending from one object to the other, a guide cable depending: from said bar to the sunken vessel. to direct the course of the latter while being elevated metal domes pendently snppolted tron] said objects and equipped with depending cables for engagement with the sunken vessel, an inflatable buoyant element arranged beneath each of said domes, and a tube extending through each dome into the inflatable element for siipplying air to the latter to cause elevation of the domes.

In testimony whereof. I have allixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

URIEL AR'IERIUS CARR. Witnesses (1 E. S rncnnNs, E. F. CLARK. 

